Juan Diego Flórez

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Juan Diego Flórez at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.Juan Diego Flórez (born January 13 1973 in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the Gran Cruz de la Orden del Sol del Perú. [1]

Contents [hide]

1 Biography

1.1 Early years

1.2 1996 - present

1.3 Awards and distinctions

2 Voice

3 Roles sung on stage

4 Discography

5 References

6 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years

Juan Diego Flórez was born in Lima, Peru on January 13, 1973 where his father, Rubén Flórez, was a noted guitarist and singer of Peruvian popular and criolla music. In an interview in the Peruvian newspaper Ojo, Flórez recounted his early days when his mother managed a pub with live music and he worked as a replacement singer whenever the main attraction called in sick. "It was a tremendous experience for me, since most of those who were regulars at the pub were of a certain age, so I had to be ready to sing anything from huaynos to Elvis Presley music and, in my mind, that served me a great deal because, in the final analysis, any music that is well structured - whether it is jazz, opera, or pop - is good music".[2]

Initially intending to pursue a career in popular music, he entered the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Lima at the age of 17. His classical voice emerged in the course of his studies there under Maestro Andrés Santa María. During this time, he became a member of the Coro Nacional of Peru and sang as a soloist in Mozart's Coronation Mass and Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle.

He received a scholarship to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia where he studied from 1993 to 1996 and began singing in student opera productions in the repertory which is still his specialty today, Rossini and the bel canto operas of Bellini and Donizetti. During this period, he also studied with Marilyn Horne at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. In 1994 the Peruvian tenor, Ernesto Palacio invited him to Italy to work on a recording of Vicente Martín y Soler's opera Il Tutore Burlato. He subsequently became Flórez's teacher, mentor and manager and has had a profound influence on his career.

[edit] 1996 - present

Flórez's first breakthrough and professional debut came in 1996, at the Rossini Festival in the Italian city of Pesaro, Rossini's birthplace. At the age of 23, he stepped in to take the leading tenor role in Matilde di Shabran when Bruce Ford became ill. He made his debut at La Scala in the same year as the Chevalier danois in Gluck's Armide. His Covent Garden debut followed in 1997 where he sang the role of Count Potoski in the world premiere of Donizetti's Elisabetta. Debuts followed at the Vienna Staatsoper in 1999 as Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 2002, again as Count Almaviva. On February 20, 2007, the opening night of Donizetti's La Fille du régiment at La Scala, Flórez broke the theater's 74-year-old tradition of no encores when he reprised "Ah! mes amis" with its nine high C's following an "overwhelming" ovation from the audience.[3] He repeated this solo encore at New York's Metropolitan Opera House on April 21, 2008, the first singer to do so there since 1994.[4][5]

Flórez is also active on the concert stages of Europe, North America, and South America. Amongst the many venues in which he has given concerts and recitals are the Wigmore Hall in London, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Teatro Segura in Lima, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In a departure from his usual repertoire, he sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the Broadway musical Carousel at the Berlin Live 8 concert in 2005.

He was signed by Decca in 2001 and since then has released six solo recital CDs on the Decca label: Rossini Arias which won the 2003 Cannes Classical Award; Una furtiva lagrima, which won the 2004 Cannes Classical Award; Great Tenor Arias which won the 2005 Echo Klassik award for the best arias and duets recital; Sentimiento Latino; Arias for Rubini and most recently, Bel Canto Spectacular. In addition to his official discography, almost all his professionally performed roles have been preserved in radio broadcasts, and many also by television.

Flórez was married to German-born Julia Trappe in a private civil ceremony on April 23, 2007 in Vienna. They held a religious ceremony at the Basilica Cathedral in Lima on April 5, 2008, which some of Peru's greatest celebrities, including President Alan García and author Mario Vargas-Llosa, attended.[6]

[edit] Awards and distinctions

Peruvian 2 sol stamp, issued November 29, 2004 in honour of FlórezJuan Diego Flórez has been recognized by his native country with several awards and distinctions. In May 2004, he received the Orden al Mérito Cultural de Lima, from the Mayor of Lima; the Orden al Mérito por servicios distinguidos en el grado de Gran Cruz from President Alejandro Toledo; and was named an Honorary Professor of San Martín de Porres University. On November 29 of that year, he appeared on the 2-sol stamp, part of a series of five stamps honouring contemporary Peruvian musicians. It is highly unusual for a living opera singer to have been honoured in his home country this way, particularly one so young. (Flórez was 31 at the time).[7] On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest honor, the Gran Cruz de la Orden El Sol del Perú, from President Alan García.

From the classical music world he has received the Premio Abbiati 2000 (awarded by Italian critics for the best singer of the year); the Rossini d'oro; the Bellini d'oro; the Premio Aureliano Pertile; the Tamagno Prize; and the L'Opera award (Migliore Tenore) for his 2001 performance in La Sonnambula at La Scala.

[edit] Voice

Flórez has a leggiero tenor voice of exceptional beauty which, while not of great size,[citation needed] is nevertheless audible in even the largest houses due to the predominance of high frequencies in its harmonic structure.[citation needed] Its compass is two octaves, up to and including the high E (a single example of a high E flat exists only in an aria by Bellini - "All udir de padre afflito" - in the CD Arias for Rubini), the higher part of its range being particularly strong and brilliant, with almost no sense of effort, while the lowest notes are comparatively weak and thin toned.[citation needed] The head and chest registers are perfectly integrated, with no audible break in the passaggio.[8] His breath control is impeccable, allowing the longest phrases to be sustained with apparent ease.{{citation needed)) The ornaments of bel canto, including the trill, are well executed, and stylistic errors such as intrusive aspirates generally eschewed.[9] Perhaps the most distinctive technical accomplishment is the singer's mastery of coloratura heard to best effect in his Idreno (Semiramide) and Corradino (Matilde di Shabran).[10]

[edit] Roles sung on stage

Bellini

I Capuleti e i Montecchi - Tebaldo (student performance)

I Puritani - Arturo

La sonnambula - Elvino

Donizetti

Don Pasquale - Ernesto

Elisabetta - Conte Potoski (concert performance)

L'elisir d'amore - Nemorino

La Fille du régiment - Tonio

Maria Stuarda - Leicester

Gluck

Armide - Le chevalier danois

Orphée et Eurydice - Orphée (concert performance)

Lehár

The Merry Widow - Camille de Roussillon (student performance)

Martín y Soler

Il tutore burlato - Anselmo (concert performance)

Meyerbeer

L'étoile du nord - Georges

Mozart

Le nozze di Figaro - Bartolo (student performance)

Paisiello

Nina, o sia, la pazza per amore - Lindoro

Prado

The Nightingale and the Rose - The student (student performance)

Puccini

Gianni Schicchi - Rinuccio

Rossini

Il barbiere di Siviglia - Conte di Almaviva

La Cenerentola - Don Ramiro

L'Italiana in Algeri - Lindoro

Matilde di Shabran - Corradino

Il Signor Bruschino - Florville

Semiramide - Idreno

Le comte Ory - Comte Ory

Otello - Rodrigo

La donna del lago - Giacomo V

Il viaggio a Reims - Belfiore (student performance) & Libenskof

Rota

Il cappello di paglia di Firenze - Fadinard

Strauss

Die Fledermaus - Alfred (student performance)

Verdi

Falstaff - Fenton

Rigoletto - Duke of Mantua

[edit] Discography

Opera

Alahor in Granata, Donizetti. Conductor: Josep Pons, CD: Almaviva, 1999

Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini. Conductor: Ralf Weikert CD: Live performance (1997), Nightingale Classics, 2004

Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini. Conductor: Gianluigi Gelmetti, DVD & Blu-Ray: Live performance (2005), Decca, 2005

La Cenerentola, Rossini. Conductor: Carlo Rizzi, CD: Live performance (2000), Rossini Opera Festival & Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Pesaro, 2001

Le Comte Ory Rossini. Conductor: Jesus Lopez-Cobos, CD: Live performance (2003), Deutsche Grammophon, 2004

Don Pasquale, Donizetti. Conductor: Maurizio Benini, DVD: Live performance (2006), Decca, 2007

L'Etoile du Nord, Meyerbeer. Conductor: Wladimir Jurowski, CD: Marco Polo, 1997

Falstaff, Verdi. Conductor: Riccardo Muti, DVD: Live performance (2001), EuroArts, 2003

La fille du régiment, Donizetti. Conductor: Riccardo Frizza, DVD: Live performance (2005), Decca, 2006

La fille du régiment, Donizetti. Conductor: Bruno Campanella, DVD: Live performance (2007), Virgin Classics, 2008

Matilde di Shabran, Rossini. Conductor: Riccardo Frizza, CD: Live performance (2004), Decca, 2006

Mitridate, Mozart. Conductor: Christophe Rousset, CD: Decca, 1999

Nina o sia La pazza per amore, Paisiello. Conductor: Riccardo Muti, CD: Ricordi, 2000

Semiramide, Rossini. Conductor Marcello Panni, CD: Nightingale Classics, 2001

La Sonnambula, Bellini. Conductor: Alessandro de Marchi, CD: Decca (2008)

Il Tutore Burlato, Martin y Soler. Conductor: Miguel Harth-Bedoya, CD: Bongiovanni, 1995

Oratorio & Sacred Music

Cantatas Vol.2, Rossini. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly, CD: Decca, 2001

Messa Solenne, Verdi. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly, CD: Decca, 2000

Stabat Mater, Rossini. Conductor: Gianluigi Gelmetti, CD: Agora, 1998

Le Tre Ore dell'Agonia del Nostro Signore Gesu Cristo, Niccolo Zingarelli. Conductor: Pierangelo Pelucchi, CD: Agora, 1995

Recital

Canto al Peru (with Ernesto Palacio). Piano: Samuele Pala, CD: Bongiovanni, 1997

Rossiniana. Conductor: Manlio Benzi, CD: Agora, 1998

Vesselina Kasarova Arias & Duets. Conductor: Arthur Fagen, CD: RCA, 1999

Rossini Arias. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly, CD: Decca, 2002

Una Furtiva Lagrima, Bellini, Donizetti. Conductor: Riccardo Frizza, CD: Decca, 2003

Great Tenor Arias, Verdi, Gluck, Rossini. Conductor: Carlo Rizzi, CD: Decca, 2004

Sentimiento Latino, Spanish & Latin American songs. Conductor: Miguel Harth-Bedoya, CD: Decca, 2006

Arias for Rubini, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini. Conductor: Roberto Abbado, CD: Decca 2007

Bel Canto Spectacular, Bellini & Donizetti arias & duets. Conductor: Daniel Oren, CD: Decca 2008

[edit] References

^ 'Tenor Juan Diego Flórez es ejemplo para la juventud y expresión del orgullo peruano, afirma Jefe de Estado Presidencia de la República del Perú', Presidencia de la República del Perú Nota de Prensa Nº 581, 4 June 2007.

^ 'Cantaba huaynos, rock y temas de Elvis', Ojo, 5 June 2006

^ Owen, Richard (2007-02-22). "Pavarotti's heir breaks rules with encore on the high C's". The Times.

^ Wakin, Daniel J. (2008-04-23). "Ban on Solo Encores at the Met. Ban? What Ban?". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/arts/music/23aria.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=florez&st=nyt&oref=slogin. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.

^ "Show-Stopping Aria Encored at the Met". All Things Considered (National Public Radio). 2008-04-23. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89884693. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.

^ Associate Press, "Opera Star Star Juan Diego Florez Weds in his Native Peru," International Herald Tribune, 6 April 2008.

^ Marion Lignana Rosenberg, He Can Sing an Aria or Frank a Letter, New York Times, January 9, 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2008.

^ Isotta, P: "Un disperato fa la differenza" (Review of Falstaff, Teatro alla Scala), Corriere della Sera, 31 March 2001 and Brüggemann, A: "Gesang jenseits der Gravitation von Musik", Die Welt am Sonntag, 19 September 2004

^ Gerardi. Enrico: "Salisburgo, trionfo da rock star per Juan Diego Florez" (Review of La Donna del lago, Salzburg 2002), Corriere della Sera, 29 August 2002

^ See for example, Ashley, Tim: "Tale of three tenors" (Review of Rossini's Otello, Royal Opera House, London, February 2000), The Guardian, 2 February 2000; Canning, Hugh: "Bravissimo! Ancora!" (Review of Matilde de Shabran, Pesaro, August 2004), The Times, 15 August 2004; Alonso, Gonzalo: "Semiramide necesita unas tijeras" (Review of Semiramide, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, November 2005), La Razón, 23 November 2005